


a kiss to crack stone

by BatWingsandBlackCats



Series: Carmilla Goddess AU [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Goddess AU, Goddess!Carmilla, Soulmate AU, breif minor violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 12:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10593954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatWingsandBlackCats/pseuds/BatWingsandBlackCats
Summary: Laura Hollis is the lowest of the low in the Goddess Carmilla's temple. Stuck with cleaning, once a week she's to clean the statue of the Goddess. what happens when she suddenly gets the urge to kiss Carmilla's stone cold lips?**UPDATED VERSION**





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! it's been a while, I hope you're all well. Things have been nuts here as usual, but a more organized kind of nuts, if that makes sense. Generally things are going better, so there will be lots of fic coming up over the next year, and also, my friend (svelazquez1220) and I will be doing the Carmilla Big Bang! We have something really cool going for that, as well as lot of other fics that we're doing together. 
> 
> This AU is based on @AUIdeas' prompt, Cold Marble Lips (I'll link it in the morning, my wifi is being temperamental) and thank you so so much to @svelazquez1220 and @fox-is-fandumb for all your help with this AU and listening to me blabber on about it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Laura stepped into a circular room, a small bucket in one hand, and a soft cloth in the other. Before her stood her last chore for the day, but out of all her mundane, mind-numbing duties, this was the only one she actually enjoyed.

Cleaning the statue of their Goddess, Carmilla.

Laura had lived in Carmilla’s temple since she was small, brought there by her father, and now at twenty-three, she was still stuck cleaning. She’d hoped to be one of the scholars, or even one of the warriors, but none had picked her. She was told she was too small to be a warrior, not refined enough to be a scholar. Not disciplined enough to be a priestess.

So she was stuck cleaning the temple with a few others.

It wasn’t all bad. The temple was beautiful, made of worn timber, greyed and polished by the winds and snow. The roofs rose in tall peaks but the night sky could be seen from inside, the timber beams overhead melting away when the sun set, befitting of the Goddess of the Moon and Stars. Silver and gold ran through the crevices in the worn wood, the walls sparkling like starts in the moonlight. Two pillars flanked the grand doors to the temple, intricately carved with runes and figures and inlaid with gold and silver, depicting the Goddess’ life and deeds. Great leather and silk banners had once hung from poles that flanked the doors, and the tarnished golden basins that lined the stone steps had once merrily crackled with fire. A stone path wound down from the door and between the trees. 

 

The temple itself sat high up on a craggy mountainside, surrounded by evergreen forests with a clear view of the sky for worship, and so that their scholars could study the starts and interoperate Carmilla’s messages. Or so they tried. Carmilla had been quiet for several centuries now, but the cosmos remained steady and the panthers that resided in and around the temple, said to be descended from the ones she’d kept, still thrived, so some held out hope that she’d return. In the meantime though, the banners were forgotten, the tarnished golden basins remaining empty and unlit. 

 

    Several miles from the base of the mountain lapped a freezing sea.

Laura knew every inch of the temple. She knew every corner of the library, having dusted the shelves probably thousands of times. She knew which floorboards squeaked, when to replace the candles that seemed to fill every crevice (enchanted, so as not to burn the books) when to rekindle the fire that always burned behind Carmilla’s statue.

The one perk of being as small as she was, was that she was the only one allowed to clean Carmilla’s statue, for fear that the others might break it. This one night a week was when Laura’s mind would quiet the most as she carefully dusted the statue, running the cloth along the polished marble. She loved this statue. The artist who carved it remained unknown, but Laura was constantly in awe of the likeness of their goddess. She’d been studying it for years and still found new details every time. New folds in the fabric of her clothes, the waves of her hair, and the infamous burn scar across her shoulder from a clash with her sister Matska, goddess of the Sun. Legend said that the spat between sisters had immediately ceased, and Matska had healed the wound, but had been unable to avoid the scar.

Her statue was supposedly true to her size, which always amused Laura because despite her large presence that all the legends spoke of, Carmilla only stood barely taller than Laura herself. The statue was regal, Carmilla standing with her chin up, staring forward with a calm face, her palms facing forward, arms at her sides. She was dressed in what Laura assumed to be a leather tunic and pants--it was hard to tell exactly when the entire statue was polished white marble--with an undertunic that seemed like it was supposed to be made of fine, sheer fabric, since it was carved to be nearly see through.

Laura shook herself from her reverie and placed the bucket on the floor in front of the statue, and carefully climbed onto the pedestal like she did every time, her bare feet knowing exactly where to step after years of repetition. She gently gripped Carmilla’s right shoulder--avoiding her scar like the woman who taught her to clean the statue always instructed her--and began to carefully wipe down Carmilla’s face with the cloth, dipped in pine tar soap made from the trees that surrounded the temple. She studied Carmilla’s face like she did every time, as she worked the cloth over the planes of her cheeks and forehead, around her eyes, working the cloth in the creases formed by her slightly parted lips.

Laura paused as she finished cleaning Carmilla’s face, her thumb lingering on Carmilla’s bottom lip. She’d always been struck by how overwhelmingly lifelike the statue’s face was, having admired it countless times while cleaning it, but also during the times she’d come to just sit before the statue of their goddess and talk to her. She’d always felt a tug, felt tied to her--which she considered normal, since she’d lived at the temple as long as she could remember and followed Carmilla’s ways her whole life--but lately she’d felt something shift. The tug was stronger, constantly nagging at the back of her head. She’d find herself coming by this room more often, spending more time than usual when cleaning Carmilla’s statue.

This was different though. She was suddenly unable to ignore the tug she felt in her gut, in her chest, and the desire to press her lips to Carmilla’s cold marble ones welled up in her chest so abruptly that she felt like she’d burst if she didn’t. She glanced behind herself, knowing she’d more than likely be scolded if she was caught doing this, but as expected, she found no one there. Everyone was in their chambers by now, no doubt.

Laura turned back to Carmilla’s statue and took a breath, running her thumb over Carmilla’s cold cheek before pressing her lips to the stone.

Immediately, the stone beneath Laura’s lips began to grow warm, and she felt it soften. Startled, Laura drew back, stumbling off the pedestal and knocking over the little bucket of soap and water, but she hardly noticed as she watched the sight before her. Cracks sounded around the room, spidering up Carmilla’s legs and down her arms as her stone hair faded to a deep, rich brown and lost its rigidity, falling around her shoulders as the stone receded from her face, leaving pale flesh and pink lips in its wake. The marble cracked away from her body, revealing the black leather of her clothes, and as the stiffness left her body as it had her hair, Carmilla’s knees buckled, and she toppled forward off the pedestal just as her eyes cracked open.

Instinctively, Laura reached out to catch her, but she wasn’t prepared and the two of them crashed to the floor, Laura gasping as her head cracked against the hard wood, Carmilla’s body falling on top of her. Laura groaned, but quickly came to her senses as she realized who exactly was lying on top of her. And just how tightly she was holding her.

Laura watched with wide, admittedly panicked eyes as Carmilla stirred above her and coughed, a small cloud of white dust escaping her lips. She stared in stunned silence as Carmilla took in her surroundings and then the woman she was lying on top of.

Carmilla stared at Laura with curious, confused eyes, but then her features softened as she slowly reached up with her left hand, cradling Laura’s cheek and running her thumb over the birthmark that resided beside Laura’s right eye. A slightly off-kilter four pointed star. Her eyes flicked back to Laura’s, and she stared at her in wonder.

“You’re real,” Carmilla croaked, her voice cracked and gravelly from centuries of non-use. She didn’t even know this woman’s name, but she knew exactly who she was. She’d hoped to see that star for centuries, even more so sometimes than her beloved ones above. Carmilla’s eyes slid over the woman’s features, finding gentle doe eyes, her brow furrowed in what looked like both shock and pain. Carmilla’s hand slid from the woman’s cheek to cradle the back of her head, fingers tangling in sun streaked hair where she found a lump, and soothed the ache until she felt the lump recede. The woman let out a sigh of relief but still didn’t speak, her lips still parted in shock. Carmilla’s eyes flicked downward, catching sight of a marking peeking out from where the woman’s plain white tunic slipped from her shoulder, and found a tattoo--an evergreen tree surrounded by a moon with three stars beneath it, in white ink.

“I-I’m real?” Laura finally squeaked, her arms suddenly loosening their grip around Carmilla’s waist. “You--you’re---you were a statue,” Laura’s eyes suddenly widened and her cheeks grew hot. This was Carmilla, their Goddess, and she’s just spoken to her as if she were just another person. “I-I’m sorry,” She stuttered, quickly averting her eyes.

Carmilla glanced down, and upon realizing she was still laying atop Laura, slowly sat up, wincing at her stiff joints. She took Laura’s hand and helped her up as well, and when Laura still wouldn’t look at her, she gently tilted her chin up. “It’s okay,” She said, as softly as she could, “you can look at me,”

Laura hesitantly raised her eyes to meet Carmilla’s, her cheeks still hot with embarrassment.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you,” Carmilla continued, that same awed look in her eyes. “What is your name?”

“I--Laura,” Laura said, only growing more confused. “You’ve been waiting for me? We’ve been waiting for you to return, the only way we knew you weren’t dead was because the starts are still moving as they should...” As Laura spoke, Carmilla’s hand had moved back to her cheek, her thumb brushing her birthmark again. Her hand was warm and the soft touch settled something in Laura’s chest that she hadn’t known was restless. She leaned into the touch, sighing.

Carmilla’s touch was gone all too soon though, when Carmilla got to her feet, and held her hand out to Laura. “Come with me?” She asked, her eyes hopeful.

Laura took her hand and got to her feet, but caught sight of the mess of crumbled marble and soapy water around the pedestal. “I should clean this--”

Carmilla shook her head. “It’s not important right now,” She said, leading Laura to an ornate door to the left of the empty pedestal. The door, stained black with the ashes of countless fires, stood out from the surrounding  warm, timber walls. The top of the door was rounded, a moon and three stars carved into the black wood. A polished wooden handle protruded from the center of the door, inlaid with moonstone.

Laura’s heart quickened as they approached the door. She’d seen this door thousands of times, every time she’d come to clean Carmilla’s statue or came to tend the fire and light the candles around her. The door led to Carmilla’s chambers. It’d been locked up for centuries, since Carmilla disappeared, and nobody was allowed inside. Laura watched as Carmilla waved her hand in front of the handle, and several soft clicks were heard before the door opened slowly.

Laura gasped quietly as they walked inside, just as Carmilla let out a relieved sigh.

The room was dim, but with a flick of Carmilla’s wrist, was illuminated by the torches that lined the walls, and a fire pit that sat at the end of a grand bed. The walls were wood like the rest of the temple, darkened with age and soot from the fires, as was the floor, polished from centuries of footsteps. Silver animal pelts hung from the walls and littered the floors, draped over the bed. The peaked roof above melted away to reveal the night sky and the full moon overhead, and the head of the bed was swathed in hanging tapestries embroidered with constellations and runes and moon phases, creating a canopy. 

Carmilla led her across the room and towards the fire, and took a seat on the soft pelts that covered the floor, beckoning for Laura to sit beside her.

Laura watched the goddess curiously as Carmilla stared into the flames, their hands still intertwined. Laura felt a tug towards Carmilla, one that she’d always felt, and always contributed to the fact that her life revolved around the Goddess of the Moon and Stars and this temple, but it was...amplified. Focused.

“I owe you an explanation,” Carmilla said, looking at Laura finally.

“I am pretty confused,” Laura said with a slight smile.

Carmilla let out a small laugh, and Laura wished it would have lasted longer. “My mother, Inanna, turned me into the statue,” She glanced at Laura, finding a horrified, confused look in her honey eyes. “At the time, she was attempting to overthrow her children and take their power, and people. Me, Matska, William, JP, even the others who aren't her children...I was leading a resistance against her, and she found out.”

\------

Carmilla grunted, struggling against the guards that gripped her arms, rage in her eyes as she heard Bagheera growling and hissing and yowling behind her.

“Let go of me!” She growled, teeth bared as she thrashed against the guards’ hold on her.

The guards remained silent as they dragged her into the center of Inanna’s temple, and threw her at the foot of Inanna’s throne.

 

The throne room of Inanna’s temple was harsh white marble, unforgiving and blinding, the only reprieve being the black tiles of the floor, and the black stone that her throne was carved from. Cold fire licked at the back of her throne, casting Inanna’s sharp features in harsh shadows as jet black snakes twined around her bare feet, her frame draped in black silk. 

“Mircalla,” Said Inanna briskly, “why am I not surprised?”

Carmilla got to her feet, flicking her hair out of her eyes. “That is my Old Name,” She spat, eyes flashing.

“It is your Given Name, dear.” Inanna said dismissively. She got to her feet, stepping down from her throne. “But let us get to the matter at hand, shall we?” She smirked, now eye level with Carmilla. “I know all about your little coup, darling.”

Carmilla swallowed, but remained silent, already knowing this. Why else would her mother’s guards drag her to her mother’s temple?

“You know, Mircalla, what amuses me is that you not only started this, but you thought you could get away with it,” She laughed, her head tilting back in mirth.

“You can’t take our domains,” Carmilla growled, “our people won’t follow you,”

“Mm, perhaps not now,” She conceded. “but I can afford to wait. And so can you,” Inanna grinned, her eyes flicking down to Carmilla’s feet.

Carmilla gasped, suddenly losing feeling in her feet, the feeling spreading rapidly up her legs. She looked down and was horrified to find that her legs were slowly turning to marble. “You can’t do this,” Carmilla gasped, moving to step forward but quickly realizing she couldn’t.

“You’ll find that I can.” Inanna smirked. “Oh don’t worry, you’ll be able to be freed. But only if your soulmate, your true match happens upon you and kisses your stone lips. She’ll have a four-pointed star, just here,” She continued, tapping beside her own right eye.

Carmilla’s heart clenched as the stone spread up her chest, freezing her fingers in their place and rendering her wrists immobile.

“But I don’t expect that to ever happen.” Inanna said with a laugh as she watched Carmilla struggle for breath as the stone crawled up her neck. “How could your stone cold heart ever have a match?”

\------

“She said you wouldn’t come, but...here you are.” Carmilla said with a small smile. She squeezed Laura’s hand lightly, and then let go. Laura looked overwhelmed at best, and Carmilla didn’t blame her. “Look, I...I don’t expect anything from you,” She said, her eyes soft as she looked at Laura. “I’m just grateful you exist, and grateful you freed me.”

“So many of us thought you left, ran away...” Laura said, looking up at Carmilla. “there aren’t many left in the temple anymore. Especially after Danielle’s influence,”

“Danny’s influence?” Carmilla asked confusedly.

“It happened before I was born, but the texts say that in your absence, Inanna gave Danny rights to your temple,” Laura explained, absently tracing designs across the back of Carmilla’s hand. “we have a small group of warriors that she comes to train once every few months, and out scholars are fewer than they’ve ever been,”

Carmilla’s eyes flashed, her face hardening. “She what?” She growled, her fists clenching. The stars above them flickered.

Laura’s eyes widened, and she withdrew her hand from Carmilla’s. Carmilla’s anger dissipated the second she saw that she’d startled Laura, and she took a breath, calming herself. “I’m sorry,” She said quickly, laying a gentle hand on Laura’s forearm. “I should have seen this coming,” She sighed, “Danny has always been self-righteous like that. She never would have been suspicious of my disappearance. Seems I have a lot of catching up to do,” She said with a small smile.

“Seems so,” Laura said with a small laugh.

Carmilla glanced at their hands, which were joined again. “Did you think I ran?” She asked quietly, looking up at Laura again.

Laura shook her head. “I felt you here,” She said after a moment. “I figured you had your reasons for not being here, but...I felt you here, when the fires were lit and the sky was clear. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but sometimes at night I would sneak up to the top of the mountain to, uh, feel closer to you,” Laura said, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Near the top of  Carmilla’s mountain, there was a break in the trees where one had a clear, far-reaching view of the sky. It was surrounded by Ipomoea alba flowers, their vines tangling in the tree branches, but never choking the trees. Their round, luminous petals hadn’t bloomed in the moonlight since Carmilla’s disappearance, though. All were strictly forbidden from entering, the top of the mountain belonging only to Carmilla.

“You’re welcome there whenever you like,” Carmilla said softly.

Laura’s blush deepened. “Thank you,” She said quietly. She looked at Carmilla curiously, feeling that tug in her gut again. She reached out, gently cupping Carmilla’s cheek. “Is this okay?” She asked tentatively, hoping she wasn’t crossing a boundary. When Carmilla nodded, Laura began to stroke Carmilla’s cheek with her thumb, her honey eyes studying Carmilla’s face. Cleaning Carmilla’s statue--Goddess, cleaning her\--for so long had rendered Laura intimately familiar with Carmilla’s face, but seeing her alive, breathing, was something else entirely. The way the flames danced in her dark eyes as they watched Laura, the slight lift of the corner of her pinkened lips, the blush in her cheeks. Laura raised her other hand and tucked Carmilla’s dark hair behind her ear, and she went to smile when Carmilla’s eyes began to drift closed, but the soft feeling turned to a spike a panic when Carmilla’s eyes rolled back and she slumped forward.

“Carmilla?!” Laura gasped, catching her by the shoulders and pushing her back, cradling her head in an attempt to get Carmilla to look at her.

Carmilla blinked rapidly, shaking her head a little. “Sorry, cutie,” She rasped, her voice still a little rough from disuse. “stone or not, standing for a few centuries wears on a girl,” She said with a half smirk, suddenly feeling the tired ache settle deep in her bones.

Laura breathed a sigh of relief, one of her hands moving to Carmilla’s tunic and gripping the leather. “Need to sleep?” She asked, pushing Carmilla’s hair out of her eyes.

Carmilla sighed and nodded wearily, and got to her feet with Laura’s help. Once she felt steady enough to walk, she shrugged her leather tunic off, and moved towards an ornately carved chest. She opened it and fished out a linen shirt, and Laura averted her eyes as Carmilla exchanged the shimmering, silken undertunic for the plain white linen shirt. Laura’s hand returned to Carmilla’s back, the Goddess still looking a bit wobbly, and she helped Carmilla to her bed.

Laura stepped back, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her tunic as Carmilla sat down on the plush furs. Carmilla noticed her discomfort, and reached out, laying a hand on Laura’s restless ones. “You can stay, if you like,” She said, “but you don’t have to. Whatever you wish.”

“I think I’d like to,” Laura admitted, her neck growing a bit warm. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this just yet, but what she did know was that she didn’t wish to be parted from Carmilla. She’d briefly thought to leave out of respect for Carmilla, not knowing what she wanted, but the thought made her gut twist unpleasantly and a lump rise in her throat.

Warmth bloomed in Carmilla’s chest, but she didn’t let herself hope too much just yet. She smiled and pulled the furs back for Laura, and settled down against her own pillow. Laura circled the bed and hesitantly climbed under the furs and blankets, feeling herself melt into the plush bed. The twisting in her gut and chest was soothed as she lay down, and she fell asleep to the sound of Carmilla’s soft breathing.

\------

The first thing Laura felt when she woke up was a hand clamped over her mouth and another twisted in the back of her shirt. She cried out, but the hand clamped over her mouth tightened its grip, muffling her cries as she was pulled from the bed and dragged towards the door. She clawed against the hand at her mouth and tried to wriggle free of her attacker, but they held on tight, dragging her into the statue room and throwing her against the floor, marble shards digging into her back. Her head smacked against the hard, wooden floor for a second time that night, and she blearily looked up at her attacker, holding her hands out in front of herself, trying to protect herself.

Above her stood Priestess Cochorane, her old, weathered face twisted in fury.

“How dare you?” The Priestess spat, her gnarled hands grabbing Laura by the collar, dragging her half off the floor. “You desecrate our Goddess’ temple and then when she finally makes her return, you try to bed her?!” Cochorane screeched, dropping Laura onto the floor again.

Laura grunted as she hit the floor again. “I didn’t--no--!” She started, but was cut off as Cochorane landed a slap across her cheek.

Carmilla woke with a start, her head foggy and disoriented until she realized that Laura was no longer lying beside her, and heard cries that sounded horribly like Laura coming from beyond her door, which was thrown wide open.

Carmilla leapt from her bed and tore out of the room, grabbing the attacker by the back of her robes and pulling her away from Laura. Carmilla’s eyes were blazing, blinding white light pouring from them from her fury, the sky above going black. She twisted her hands in the collar of the Priestess’ robes, her teeth bared. “Lay a finger on her again and I will rip out your eyes so that you may never see the stars again,” Carmilla snarled, her face mere inches from Cochorane’s.

“Carm,” Laura gasped, shaking from adrenaline as she got to her feet.

Cochorane’s face was ashen, confusion and fear written all over her face. “But--Goddess, she has desecrated your temple and intruded on you, she holds the lowest rank, she should not even look at you!” Cochorane babbled.

“That is for me to decide,” Carmilla growled, “perhaps I’ll just make you blind, less messy that way,”

“Carmilla, don’t!” Laura said. “Don’t take her eyes, banish her if you wish, let her find a purpose somewhere else,”

Carmilla pondered Laura’s suggestion for a moment before nodding. “You’re fortunate she’s merciful,” She said quietly. “you are banished from my temple and disgraced, and may never serve as a priestess for any god,” She let go of Cochorane, and the former Priestess vanished in a flurry of robes.

Laura breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Carmilla hadn’t physically harmed Cochorane, but also in relief that that woman was finally gone. She’d always been horrible to Laura and her friends. Carmilla was suddenly in front of Laura, tilting her chin up and brushing her air away from her face, a look of worry in Carmilla’s dark eyes.

“I’m okay,” Laura said, leaning into her touch, “just startled,”

“She hurt you,” Carmilla said, the anger ratting in her bones easing and becoming only worry for Laura, the feeling deep and heavy. Her eyes had faded back to their dark brown, the stars above returning, but glowing dimly.

Laura’s cheek still stung, and she could taste blood from where she’d bitten her lip, felt a few scratches across her back, but she was mostly just glad to be close to Carmilla again. It seemed to ease the ache. She ran a hand through her hair, taking a shaky breath, the adrenaline having drained from her system, leaving her knees wobbly. Carmilla gripped Laura’s hips to steady her, watching her carefully. Laura studied her for a moment, and then threw her arms around Carmilla’s neck, hugging her tight.

“Thank you,” She said quietly, her cheek tucked against Carmilla’s.

Carmilla was a bit startled by the sudden hug, but wrapped her arms around Laura’s waist nonetheless, relishing in the contact. Soulmate or not, spending a few centuries as stone makes a girl crave human contact.

The two looked up as they heard footsteps, the pattering of bare feet on stone breaking them out of their moment. Laura’s hand gently gripped the back of Carmilla’s tunic as the others who lived in the temple poured into the room, gasps and murmurings spreading through the small crowd. One of the priestesses stepped forward and kneeled before Carmilla, awe written on her face.

“Goddess, you’ve returned,” She said, awestruck. “we saw the stars, and then heard a crash,” She continued.

Carmilla nodded. “I have, and you have Laura to thank,” She said, noticing the confused looks she received in response.

“Where have you been?” One voice asked, “Why did you abandon us?”

“You left us!” Another cried.

“She didn’t!” Laura burst out, hating the distrust in the others’ eyes. She moved closer to Carmilla, feeling a wave of protectiveness wash over her. She squirmed slightly though when all eyes fell on her.

Carmilla sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as the guilt settled in her stomach. “It wasn’t by choice.” She said finally, her eyes earnest. “I promise to speak to you all tomorrow, there is much that needs fixing.” She said, the anger still simmering in her bones. She laced her fingers with Laura’s. “I ask that you leave us be tonight,” Carmilla finished, and then started towards the door to her chambers, Laura walking beside her.

Laura glanced back at their awestruck faces before closing the door behind her and sighed, wondering what they were thinking. She was just glad to be away from them at the moment. She’d, albeit unwillingly, gotten used to not being seen so the attention was unnerving.

“Are you okay?” Carmilla asked quietly, standing in front of Laura now. She started to let go of Laura’s hand, but stopped when Laura’s grip tightened slightly.

Laura nodded. “Yeah, I’m just...tired,” She said with a sigh. “I always hated Cochorane but I never expected...that, from her,”

“If you hadn’t asked me not to, I would have ripped out her eyes,” Carmilla said with a slight chuckle, gently brushing Laura’s hair out of her eyes.

Laura studied her curiously, her brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you?”

Carmilla looked at her, confused. “Because you asked me not to,”

“Why should that matter, though?” Laura asked, “You’re literally a <em> god </em>, why should my wishes have anything to do with what you want?”

Carmilla let out a breath, and led Laura to her bed. “Because we’re bonded,” She said as they sat down. “soulmates. Our hearts are a match for one another. Whatever our relationship becomes, I’ll always take your wishes into account.” She watched as Laura remained silent. “I meant what I said before,” She continued, looking down at their joined hands. “I don’t expect anything from you, your choice is your own. I just want you to be happy,”

Laura watched her with soft eyes, feeling warmth bloom in her chest. She reached forward and laid her hand on Carmilla’s cheek, running her thumb across her smooth skin as she hesitated for just a moment before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Carmilla’s.

Carmilla’s eyes fell closed as she gasped against Laura’s lips, her hands raising to cradle Laura’s head between them. She sucked gently on Laura’s bottom lip, nipping and soothing her soft skin. It felt like breathing again, like this was her first free breath, not the one she took when she first awoke on the floor of the statue room.

Laura melted into Carmilla, pulling her closer. She felt something click into place inside herself, something that had always felt off, not quite right, even more so in the last few months. That feeling was gone now, a calmness washing over her as her and Carmilla pulled each other closer. Laura ran her fingers through Carmilla’s hair as they broke apart, and felt as Carmilla ran her hands down her back, healing the scratches and bruises from the marble shards. She pressed a chaste kiss to Carmilla’s lips, and gently leaned her forehead against her’s.

“I feel like I know you,” Laura confessed, running her fingers through Carmillas hair. “like you’ve always been here. I’ve felt you for so long but I thought it was just from being here, following you.” She looked into Carmilla’s eyes to find them watery. “You don’t feel like a stranger,”

“I was here, in a way,” Carmilla said. “I think I felt you too,”

Laura paled. “Were you awake in the statue?” She asked in a whisper, her insides suddenly feeling sick.

Carmilla shook her head quickly. “No, not...not exactly,” She said, her brow furrowed as she tried to put the pieces together. “it felt cold for so long...but then I started feeling warmth, once in a while. It felt like hands. I don’t know how often, but I know I felt it. It felt warmer than usual lately,” She placed Laura’s hand on the side of her neck. “It felt like you,”

“It  was me,” Laura said, putting the pieces together, “I was the only one allowed to clean your statue, I mean, you,” She corrected herself. “I’m small, so they didn’t worry about me breaking anything. Once a week I’d come at night and wash you.” She said with a small laugh. “That sounds so weird...”

Carmilla chuckled. “It felt nice,” She admitted after a moment. She reached up and tenderly traced the small star next to Laura’s eye again, and smiled a little as Laura slowly blinked, letting out a sigh as she leaned into Carmilla’s hand. “tired?” Carmilla asked softly, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Laura’s mouth.

Laura nodded, smiling a little at the kiss. “Can I stay with you?”

“Of course,” Carmilla said, feeling her stomach flutter. “this room is yours as well, if you wish,”

Laura blushed a little, fiddling with a string that hung from the collar of Carmilla’s tunic. “This is all...very odd,” She admitted, “Last night I was sleeping on my little cot that could honestly use some more feathers and now you’re back, and...” She shook her head, trying to find the right words. “everything’s changed,”

“Is it a good change?” Carmilla asked hopefully.

Laura nodded. “Very good,”

Carmilla smiled and moved back towards her pillow, beckoning for Laura to follow. Laura did, and settled down beside Carmilla for a second time that night, and with a wave of Carmilla’s hand, the torches were snuffed out, leaving only the fire in the middle of the room burning, merrily crackling in the silence. After a moment, Laura moved closer to Carmilla, and tentatively rested her head against Carmilla’s shoulder.

Carmilla smiled, and wrapped an arm around her. There was much to fix and much to be done, of course, her temple and her people losing their way in her absence. Danny needed to learn her place and Maman still needed to be defeated, but Carmilla couldn’t help the few joyful tears that fell. She was free again and Laura was real, warm and breathing beside her, and it seemed that something was already growing between them.

Carmilla curled closer to Laura’s soft warmth, pulling the sleeping human close to her chest. “Sleep well, Laura,”


End file.
